Neighborhood Councils

We're getting down to the wire and as I reported at Cataract City, only 14 of the needed 45 candidates have filed for Neighborhood Council.

The deadline to file is August 20.

I have been a member of NC#4 for 3 years and I am in my second year as the chair of this council. It has been a very good experience for me. I have learned more about city/county government and how it works than if I had not gotten involved.

As the chair, I am responsible for setting the agenda and have made an effort to bring in speakers who educate the public about what our government or community is doing. I have received several compliments from citizens who tell me they enjoy coming to Council 4 meetings because they always learn something. That's always been my goal.

If elected your mayor, I will definitely ask for more input from our councils. According to the City Charter, councils are supposed to be involved in several aspects of our local government, including finance. Currently, councils are not invited to participate in the budgetary process. No meetings are ever scheduled with councils to discuss the budget. Oh sure. We can show up at the normally scheduled budget meetings, but how many council members and citizens can just drop what they are doing during the day to attend a budget meeting? More of an effort needs to be made to include the public, before the public hearing.

Please consider joining your council. For more information, contact Patty Cadwell at 455-8496 or pcadwell@greatfallsmt.net.